The city, officially chartered on July 10, 1963, was master-planned and primarily developed by Coral Ridge Properties, which was acquired by
Westinghouse in 1966. The city's name is derived from the company's name, and was selected after several earlier proposals had been considered and rejected.[8] Despite the name, there are no natural
springs in the city; Florida's springs are found in the central and northern portions of the state.[9]

During the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s the young city grew rapidly, adding over 35,000 residents each decade. Coral Springs has notably strict building codes, which are designed to maintain the city's distinctive aesthetic appeal. The city government's effective fiscal management has maintained high bond ratings, and the city has won accolades for its overall livability, its low crime rate, and its family-friendly orientation.

History

Coral Springs is a
planned community. Prior to its incorporation as a city in July 1963, the area which is now Coral Springs was part of 20,000 acres (81 km2) of marshy lands bought by Henry Lyons between 1911 and 1939. After several
floods in 1947, Florida created the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control District (now the
South Florida Water Management District).
Canals and
levees drained much of the area upon which Coral Springs was built. After the land was drained and cleared, most of the area was used as a bean farm. After Lyons' death in 1952, his heirs changed the focus to cattle.[8]

A post-
World War II real estate boom in South Florida attracted the interest of developers. Coral Ridge Properties, which already had several developments in
Broward County, bought 3,869 acres (16 km2) of land from the Lyons family on December 14, 1961 for $1 million.[8] The City of Coral Springs was chartered on July 10, 1963. Other names that were considered for the new city included "Curran Village," "Pompano Springs" and "Quartermore". By 1964, the company had developed a master plan for a city of 50,000 residents. On July 22, 1964, the first sale of 536 building lots netted $1.6 million. The
landmark covered bridge was built that same year to promote the town. In 1965, Coral Ridge Properties bought an additional 6,000 acres (24 km2) from the Lyons family, increasing the city's land area to 16 square miles (41 km2). The first city government elections were held in 1967.

The city added 19 public schools, a regional mall, shopping centers and parks between 1970 and 2000 in response to rapid population growth. The biggest
shopping mall in the city is
Coral Square, which opened in October 1984 with 945,000 square feet (87,800 m2) of retail space and more than 120 stores. The construction of the
Sawgrass Expressway in 1986 brought even more growth. A museum and a theater opened in the 1990s. The city reached residential
build-out in 2003[10] and is very close to a commercial build-out.[11]

Awards and rankings

In 2012, the city was ranked 94th overall and 3rd in Florida on the '100 Best Places to Live list published by Money Magazine.[12]

The city has received the Florida Sterling Award for excellence in administration twice, in 1997 and 2003.[14]

Crime

The city's historically low crime rate was marred in the early 1990s, when teen gang violence made headlines, with fights and murders reported. The violence subsided and the city returned to its previously peaceful state in 1995.[15][16][17][18][19]

Cityscape

Coral Springs is a sprawling city, with few tall or prominent structures. The tallest building in the city is a 12-story condominium (Country Club Tower), with five more buildings topping out at or near 10 stories, including four office buildings lining
University Drive, one of the city's main roads.[21] Buildings include the Coral Springs Financial Plaza, University Place at City Center, Coral Springs Executive Tower, Bank of America Center, and the Briarwood Towers. Coral Springs Financial Plaza was the first major office building in the city; built in 1974 as the Bank of Coral Springs Building, it has 10 floors and 123,469 sq ft of office space.[22] University Place at City Center, at 3111 N. University Drive, is the largest office building in the city in terms of office space—it has 10 floors and 203,000 sq ft (18,900 m2). It opened as the Preferred Exchange Tower in 1985.[23]

Completed in 1974, the 10-story Coral Springs Financial Plaza was the tallest building west of
Interstate 95 in Broward County.[24]

Coral Ridge Properties established strict landscaping and sign laws for the city—a question in the original version of
Trivial Pursuit noted that the city hosted the first
McDonald's without the distinctive
Golden Arches sign.[25] Restrictions on commercial signs,[26] exterior paint colors,[27] roofing materials,[28] recreational vehicle and boat storage,[29] and landscaping specifications[30] are all strictly enforced; consequently, real estate values in the city are significantly higher than the county as a whole. In 2006, the median price of a single family home in Coral Springs was US$415,000, while the median price county-wide was US$323,000.[31]

The city's downtown at the intersection of
Sample Road and
University Drive is the focus of an extensive redevelopment plan, estimated to cost close to US$700 million.[32] The plan to revitalize the city's core started with an open-air shopping and entertainment center—"The Walk"—and progressed with the construction of "One Charter Place," opened April 2007. When completed, the redeveloped downtown area will offer office, retail, and a new government center, encompassing approximately three million square feet of floor space, in addition to approximately 1,000 residential units and a new hotel.[33] The city's new $38 million city hall complex opened in January 2018, replacing the old building which was demolished later that year.[34] The current downtown project in development, "Cornerstone Downtown Coral Springs", will feature two residential towers, a hotel, and a shopping, office and entertainment complex. The project is expected to begin construction in 2019 with the demolition of the Coral Springs Financial Plaza site and completed in 2020.[22]

The City of Coral Springs' Parks and Recreation Department operates over 50 municipal parks, including a
water park and a
skate park, encompassing over 675 acres (2.7 km2).[35] Coral Springs' largest park is Mullins Park (70 acres). Of the four
natural conservation areas in the city, Sandy Ridge Sanctuary is the biggest, at 38 acres (150,000 m2).

Climate

Coral Springs experiences a
tropical rainforest climate (
Köppen climate classification: Af). Average monthly rainfall is higher from April to September, with January and February as the driest months. The average monthly rainfall ranges from 2.8 inches (7 cm) in January and February to 7.3 inches (19 cm) in June. The hurricane season is from June to November, with September as the month during which hurricanes are most likely to occur. The most powerful hurricane to strike Coral Springs since its incorporation was
Wilma in 2005; the eye of the hurricane passed directly over the city. The city estimated that "as a result of the numerous hurricanes and storms that hit Coral Springs in 2004/2005, and especially as a result of Hurricane Wilma, the tree canopy coverage throughout the city has been reduced by about one third".[36] A 2017 study put Coral Springs in fourth place for US cities most vulnerable to
coastal flooding, with 115,000 residents living within
FEMA's coastal
floodplain.[37]

As of 2010, there were 45,433 households, with 8.1% being vacant. As of 2000, 19,151 (43.2%) households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26,875 (60.6%) were married couples living together, 7,663 (17.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, and 8,387 (18.9%) were non-families. 5,922 of all households (13.4%) were made up of individuals and 1,408 (3.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.11 and the average family size was 3.45.[40]

In 2000, the city's age distribution was as follows: 38,335 residents (27.8%) under the age of 18, 14,560 (10.5%) from 18 to 24, 35,927 (26.0%) from 25 to 44, 39,821 (28.8%) from 45 to 64, and 9,358 (6.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males.[41]

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was US$69,808, and the median income for a family was $76,106. Males had a median income of $47,427 versus $34,920 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $29,285. About 5.8% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 11.1% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.[42]

As of 2000, those who spoke only English at home accounted for 74.6% of residents. Other languages spoken at home included Spanish (15.0%),
French Creole (2.2%), Portuguese (1.4%), French (1.1%), and Italian (0.8%.)[43]

As of 2000, 2.1% of the city's population was from
Haiti,[44] 2.1% of the population was from
Colombia,[45] and 1.7% of the population was from
Cuba.[46]

Government and infrastructure

Coral Springs City Hall

Coral Springs uses the
commission-manager form of municipal government, with all governmental powers resting in a
legislative body called a commission. Coral Springs' commission is composed of five elected commissioners, one of whom is the mayor of the city and another of whom is the vice-mayor.[47] The mayor and vice-mayor serve a two-year term; the commissioners serve four-year terms. The offices are non-partisan; no candidate is allowed to declare a party affiliation. The role of the commission is to pass ordinances and resolutions, adopt regulations, and appoint city officials, including the
city manager. While the mayor serves as a presiding officer of the commission, the city manager is the administrative head of the municipal government, and is responsible for the administration of all departments. The city commission holds its regular meetings biweekly.[48] The mayor is Scott J. Brook and the Vice Mayor is Joy Carter. The other commissioners are Shawn Cerra, Joshua Simmons & Larry Vignola. The City Manager is Mike Goodrum and the Deputy City Manager is Horace McHugh.

Coral Springs is served by
Broward Health, and is home to the 200-bed Coral Springs Medical Center. The hospital received a 99 (out of 100) from the
Joint Commission, ranking in the top 2% of over 9,000 surveyed hospitals.[49]

Coral Springs' water supply comes from the
Biscayne Aquifer,
South Florida's primary source of drinking water. There are four different water districts within the city; the providers are the City of Coral Springs Water District, Coral Springs Improvement District, North Springs Improvement District and Royal Utilities.[50] The South Florida Water Management District provides flood control protection and water supply protection to local residents, controls all water shortage management efforts and assigns water restrictions when necessary. Collection and disposal of city's trash or garbage is provided by Waste Pro. Electric power service is distributed by
Florida Power & Light.

Economy

Coral Square

Employment

Of residents aged 16 years and over, 72.6% were in the labor force, 95% were employed and 5% unemployed. 39.5% of the population worked in management, professional, and related occupations; 32.9% in sales and office occupations; 12.8% in service occupations; 7.6% in construction, extraction, and maintenance occupations; 7% in production, transportation, and material moving occupations;[51] and 0.1% in farming, fishing, and forestry occupations. The industries for which Coral Springs inhabitants worked were 17.6% educational, health and social services; 16.1% retail trade; 12.9% professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services; 10.1% finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing; 8.2% arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services; 7.0% manufacturing; 6.6% construction; 5.0% wholesale trade; 4% transportation, warehousing, and utilities;, 4.9% other services (except public administration); 3.7% information; 3.6% public administration; and 0.2% agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining. 85.2% of workers worked in the private sector, 9.6% in government, 5% self-employed in unincorporated businesses, and 0.3% as unpaid family workers. The predominant method of commuting was driving alone in own car, accounting for 81.5% of commuting trips, followed by 11.2% who were carpoolers and 7.4% who used other methods or worked from home.[5]

Credit ratings

As of November 2015,
Fitch Ratings and
Standard & Poor's gave the city's General Obligation bonds a
bond credit rating of AAA, while
Moody's rates the bonds AA1 after a downgrade in 2014. In its 2015 report, Fitch noted that "financial operations and reserve levels remain sound despite economic pressure that led to reserve draws in prior years."[52]

Property taxes

As of 2017, the city's property tax rate of 5.87
mils (0.587% of assessed value per year) was the second lowest of large cities in Broward County.[53] This rate is in addition to taxes due to Broward County, which has one of the highest property tax rates in the United States.

Public primary and secondary education is handled by the
Broward County Public Schools District (BCPS).[56] BCPS operates 3 high schools, 4
middle schools and 12
elementary schools within the city limits.[57] Ramblewood Elementary School received a Florida Sterling Award for its efforts in 2006.[58] In 2008 the Florida Department of Education awarded all public schools in the city, with the exception of
Coral Springs High School, "A" grades based on their performance on the
Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. In 2008, Coral Springs High School received a "B,"[59] and in 2010 the school received its first "A." In 2009, all public elementary, middle, and charter schools in the city received "A's," except for Broward Community Charter School West, which received a "B."[60]

Both Coral Springs Middle School and Forest Glen Middle School were recognized as a "five star" school as of 2017. About 25 schools in Broward County receive this honor. Two other elementary schools in Coral Springs received this rating as well: Maple Wood and Park Springs Elementary School.

Sports

Coral Springs Youth Soccer League Game, Cypress Park

Coral Springs is the home of the Florida Panthers NHL team,[62] and has more than 25 amateur sports leagues.[63] Coral Springs Youth Soccer has more than 3,000 players, playing for 284 teams in 20 separate leagues, divided by age group and sex.[64] The
Honda Classicgolf tournament was played at the
TPC at Eagle Trace from 1984 to 1991 and 1996 and then at the TPC at Heron Bay from 1997 to 2002. The short-lived professional
soccer team
Coral Springs Kicks (
USISL) was based in the city.

North Springs Little League, located in north Coral Springs, won the U.S. southeast regional senior league championship. Beyond this, they came out of the U.S. pool in the world series and played a game against Panama, which was broadcast on ESPN 2, in the championship game. North Springs little league lost the final game 5–4.[67]

The city is home to two local weekly newspapers, the Coral Springs Forum and Our Town News. Both publications focus on local issues and human interest stories. The Coral Springs Forum was founded in 1971 by local high school students, the publication was sold after their graduation to local residents. Later the company became a subsidiary of the
Tribune Company, the South Florida-Sun Sentinel publisher.[8]

The
Coral Springs Center for the Arts opened in 1990. Originally planned to be a gymnasium, a US$4 million renovation in 1996 added a 1,471 seat theater.[70] The theater presents a program of popular shows and a yearly Broadway series. The 8,000-square-foot (700 m2) Coral Springs Museum of Art has a small number of exhibits and focuses on art classes and programs for the local community.[71] There is currently one public library in the city, the Northwest Regional Library, affiliated with the county-wide
Broward County Library system. The band
New Found Glory hails from Coral Springs and was formed in the city.[72]

The "Our Town" Festival has been continuously held since 1979, first sponsored by the Coral Springs Chamber of Commerce, and promoted by a non-profit organization since 1997.[73] The event has a car show, a
beauty pageant and
carnival rides. The festival attracted more than 100,000 attendees in 1984,[74] and the city estimated 200,000 visitors at the 1990 event.[75] A
parade was added to the event in 1985;[76] since 1994, the parade has been run as a separate event during the Christmas season.[77] Several other festivals are held throughout the year, such as "Fiesta Coral Springs", a Hispanic culture celebration, and the Festival of the Arts.[78] At Coral Springs' 25th Anniversary Party, the
Guinness World Record for "Largest Hamburger and Milkshake" was broken on July 10, 1988.[79] The hamburger measured 26 feet (8 m) in diameter and weighed 5063 pounds. The record stood for just over a year.[80]

Coral Springs has two designated Florida Heritage sites.[81] The
Coral Springs Covered Bridge was the first structure built in the city, in 1964. The steel bridge, 40 feet (12 m) in length, is the only covered bridge in Florida in the public
right-of-way. The
American Snuff Company provided two historical designs for the bridge sides, to make the structure appear aged. The Covered Bridge is depicted in Coral Springs' seal. The Museum of Coral Springs History started as a real estate office. Built outside the city limits, the single-room wooden structure was moved to Coral Springs and became its first administration building. Later it was used as the first police station, and as a
Jaycees clubhouse; it was moved to the city dump in 1976, where it was used as a fire department training site for smoke drills. After it was inadvertently set on fire, public outcry prompted the building's relocation to Mullins Park for restoration. Since 1978, it has housed the city's history museum. The exhibits in the museum are historic items and city models.[82]